Psalm 49:1

1 Give attention to this, all you peoples; let your ears be open, all you who are living in the world.

Psalm 49:1 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 49:1

Hear this
Not the law, as some Jewish writers ^F12 interpret it, which was not desirable to be heard by those that did hear it; it being a voice of wrath and terror, a cursing law, and a ministration of condemnation and death; but rather (ad atywxa) , "this news", as the Targum; the good news of the Gospel; the word of "this" salvation; the voice from heaven; the word not spoken by angels, but by the Lord himself: or (hmkxh taz) , "this wisdom", as Kimchi interprets it; which the psalmist was about to speak of, ( Psalms 49:3 ) ; also the parable and dark saying he should attend unto and open, ( Psalms 49:4 ) ; and indeed it may take in the whole subject matter of the psalm;

all [ye] people:
not the people of Israel only, but all the people of the world, as appears from the following clause; whence it is evident that this psalm belongs to Gospel times; in which the middle wall of partition is broken down, and there is no difference of people; God is the God both of Jews and Gentiles; Christ is the Saviour and Redeemer of one as well as of the other; the Spirit of God has been poured out upon the latter; the Gospel has been sent into all the world, and all are called upon to hear it;

give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world,
or "of time"; so the word is rendered "age", the age of a man, ( Psalms 39:5 ) . The inhabitants of this world are but for a time; wherefore Ben Melech interprets the phrase by (Nmwh yvna) , "men of time", the inhabitants of time; it is peculiar to the most High to "inhabit eternity", ( Isaiah 57:15 ) . Under the Gospel dispensation there is no distinction of places; the Gospel is not confined to the land of Judea; the sound of it is gone into all the world, and men may worship God, and offer incense to his name, in every place; and whoever fears him in any nation is accepted of him.

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FOOTNOTES:

F12 Midrash Tillim in loc. Yalkut Simeoni, par. 2. fol. 106. 2.

Psalm 49:1 In-Context

1 Give attention to this, all you peoples; let your ears be open, all you who are living in the world.

2 High and low together, the poor, and those who have wealth.

3 From my mouth will come words of wisdom; and in the thoughts of my heart will be knowledge.

4 I will put my teaching into a story; I will make my dark sayings clear with music.

5 What cause have I for fear in the days of evil, when the evil-doing of those who are working for my downfall is round about me?